Anwar Sadat Biography Quotes 6 Report mistakes

Early Life and Military Formation
Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat was born on 25 December 1918 in Mit Abu al-Kum, a village in Egypt's Monufia Governorate. Raised in the Nile Delta in modest circumstances, he attended local schools before entering the Royal Military Academy in Cairo. Commissioned in 1938, he joined the Signal Corps, beginning a career shaped by the struggle against foreign occupation and the pursuit of national independence. During World War II he became involved in clandestine anti-British activities, for which he was arrested and imprisoned. His wartime experiences deepened his nationalism and brought him into close association with fellow officers, notably Gamal Abdel Nasser, who shared his determination to end colonial influence in Egypt.

The Free Officers and the 1952 Revolution
Sadat became an early member of the Free Officers, a secret group of young soldiers committed to overthrowing the monarchy of King Farouk and ending British domination. Working alongside Nasser, Abdel Hakim Amer, Zakaria Mohieddin, Salah Salem, and others, he helped plan the 23 July 1952 coup. After the revolution, Sadat served on the Revolutionary Command Council and played a prominent role in public communication, acting as a trusted spokesman for the new regime. He was known for his loyalty, discipline, and rhetorical skill, qualities that helped him navigate the shifting currents of post-revolutionary politics.

Rise Under Nasser
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Sadat held a series of posts under President Gamal Abdel Nasser. He briefly edited the state daily Al Gomhuria, served as a minister without portfolio, and later became Speaker of the National Assembly from 1960 to 1968. He maintained a reputation as a reliable insider rather than a chief strategist, yet his steady presence and relationship with Nasser positioned him for higher responsibility. In December 1969, as Egypt grappled with the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Nasser appointed Sadat as one of his vice presidents, placing him within the narrow circle of succession.

Assuming the Presidency and the Corrective Revolution
Nasser's sudden death on 28 September 1970 elevated Sadat to the presidency. Initially perceived by many as a transitional figure overshadowed by powerful Nasserist rivals, Sadat moved swiftly to consolidate authority. In May 1971 he launched what he called the Corrective Revolution, sidelining figures associated with the security apparatus and the old guard. He set a new course at home and abroad: easing domestic controls, revising the constitution, and recalibrating Egypt's foreign policy. In 1972 he expelled Soviet military advisers, signaling estrangement from Moscow under Leonid Brezhnev and opening a channel to Washington, where National Security Adviser and later Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was emerging as a pivotal interlocutor.

The October 1973 War and Strategic Repositioning
Seeking to break the diplomatic stalemate after 1967, Sadat planned a limited war to recover Egyptian territory and shatter the sense of military impasse. On 6 October 1973, Egyptian forces under War Minister Ahmed Ismail Ali and Chief of Staff Saad el-Shazly crossed the Suez Canal, breaching the Bar Lev Line and catching Israel by surprise. The coordinated Syrian offensive on the Golan Heights under Hafez al-Assad widened the conflict. Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Golda Meir and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, rallied their forces, leading to intense battles, a countercrossing in the canal sector, and a precarious cease-fire. Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy produced disengagement agreements that stabilized the front and permitted Egypt to reclaim parts of Sinai. Arab support, notably from King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, amplified the war's political impact and accelerated diplomatic engagement.

Economic Opening and Political Reordering
At home, Sadat launched the infitah, an economic opening aimed at encouraging private investment and reducing state control. The policy sought to revive growth after years of conflict but also widened inequalities and strained public finances. Proposed subsidy cuts sparked the January 1977 bread riots, forcing partial reversals. Sadat reorganized political life by allowing competing platforms within the ruling Arab Socialist Union in 1976, then authorizing multiparty activity and ultimately forming the National Democratic Party in 1978. He named Air Force commander Hosni Mubarak as vice president in 1975, while reopening the Suez Canal the same year, a symbolic and economic milestone. These changes reshaped the state but fueled opposition from the left, Nasserists, and Islamist movements.

From War to Peace: The Jerusalem Initiative
Concluding that military success could not yield a comprehensive settlement, Sadat took an unprecedented step in November 1977 by flying to Jerusalem to address the Israeli Knesset. The move electrified world opinion and reshaped regional diplomacy, but it caused ruptures at home and abroad. Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmy resigned in protest, as did his successor Mohammed Ibrahim Kamel during later negotiations. Yet Sadat pressed forward, aided by officials such as Boutros Boutros-Ghali, arguing that direct engagement was the only path to recover Sinai and end the cycle of war. In Israel, the shift from Labour leadership to Prime Minister Menachem Begin's Likud complicated talks, but also opened a channel for bold bargaining.

Camp David and the Egypt-Israel Treaty
In September 1978, US President Jimmy Carter hosted Sadat and Begin at Camp David. After two weeks of difficult negotiations, they reached the Camp David Accords: a framework for Egyptian-Israeli peace and principles for Palestinian autonomy that, however, remained contested. The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington on 26 March 1979, providing for a phased Israeli withdrawal from Sinai and security arrangements. Sadat and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts. Figures like Ezer Weizman and Moshe Dayan played roles on the Israeli side; American diplomats and security experts labored behind the scenes. The agreement ended a state of war between Egypt and Israel and altered the regional balance.

Isolation, Opposition, and the 1981 Crackdown
The peace with Israel came at a high political cost. Many Arab states condemned the treaty, and Egypt was suspended from the Arab League, which moved its headquarters out of Cairo. Syria and others broke ties; relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization deteriorated. Domestically, the peace, combined with economic strain and the infitah's uneven benefits, energized opposition across the spectrum. Sadat responded with increasing intolerance of dissent. In September 1981 he ordered mass arrests of Islamists, leftists, liberal critics, journalists, and religious figures; tensions with the Coptic Church culminated in measures against Pope Shenouda III. The broad sweep of the crackdown reflected Sadat's conviction that his strategic course faced existential threats.

Assassination and Succession
On 6 October 1981, during a military parade commemorating the crossing of the Suez Canal, Sadat was assassinated by militants linked to Egyptian Islamic Jihad. The attack also wounded officials on the reviewing stand, including Vice President Hosni Mubarak. Sadat's death shocked the world and underscored the volatility his policies had stirred. Following constitutional procedures, the Speaker of the People's Assembly, Sufi Abu Taleb, served briefly as acting head of state, and Mubarak soon succeeded to the presidency, committing to maintain the peace treaty and stabilize the country.

Legacy
Anwar Sadat's legacy is defined by audacity in both war and diplomacy. He reestablished Egyptian military confidence in 1973 and then converted limited battlefield gains into a diplomatic realignment that recovered the Sinai and ended Egypt's state of war with Israel. He shifted Egypt from Soviet reliance toward a US partnership, and he attempted to liberalize a command economy whose constraints had long suppressed private initiative. Those same choices fractured Arab solidarity and deepened internal polarization. Admired by many for courage and vision, criticized by others for authoritarian methods and strategic concessions, Sadat left an imprint that no successor could ignore. His journey from village boy to president, from prisoner to Nobel laureate, remains one of the most consequential arcs in modern Middle Eastern history.

Our collection contains 6 quotes who is written by Anwar, under the main topics: Ethics & Morality - Wisdom - Peace - Fear.

Other people realated to Anwar: Golda Meir (Leader), Mohammed Naguib (Statesman), Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (Royalty), Cyrus Vance (Statesman), Ezer Weizman (Statesman)